Prediction of tensile strength of cement paste based on a micromechanical model

Title: Prediction of tensile strength of cement paste based on a micromechanical model
Author(s): L. Tan, Z. Qian, G. Ye, E. Schlangen
Paper category : conference
Book title: International RILEM Symposium on Concrete Modelling - ConMod '08
Editor(s): E. Schlangen and G. De Schutter
Print-ISBN: 978-2-35158-060-8
e-ISBN: 978-2-35158-076-9
Publisher: RILEM Publications SARL
Publication year: 2008
Pages: 629 - 636
Total Pages: 8
Nb references: 8
Language: English

Abstract: For an engineering material, the tensile strength is the maximum amount of tensile stress that it can be subjected to before failure. In concrete structures, accurately predicting the tensile strength of concrete could ultimately prevent the possibility of the cracks occurs.
In this contribution, the tensile strengths of cement paste is predicted using 3D Lattice fracture model based on the microstructure of cement paste simulated by HYMOSTRUC3D hydration model. In the simulation, the simulated microstructure is first transferred into lattice beams, where the beams compose of unhydrated cement part, low density CSH and high density CSH. The physical properties, including elastic modules, the length and the volume are signed for each beam element. The external tensile and compressive loads are then applied to the Lattice structure. The tensile stress of beam elements can be derived according to Lattice model developed by Schlangen [1]. In Lattice model, the local forces for the beam elements were obtained by applying the "minimum potential energy" principle. It means that the element with the highest tensile stress relative to its tensile strength will be removed and assumed to be the fist beam to fail. In the next step, the stiffness matrix of the removed beam element will be deleted. By multiplying the scale factor, the relation between the reaction force and the displacement can be derived.
In this paper, the numerical results of tensile strength for 3D lattice are presented and analyzed in details. Different parameters are compared and discussed.

Online publication: 2009-06-15
Publication type : full_text
Public price (Euros): 0.00